Is this the same guy that predicted that abysmal Sox record at the beginning of the season?

It would probably be easier to find the guys who didn't think the Sox would have an absymal record entering this season

russ99

09-18-2012, 10:53 AM

Kenny has done a good job this year, but we still had Konerko, Rios, Dunn, Peavy, etc. to start with, and those preseason predictions were more about Ventura's inexperience than quality at the top end of the roster. I'd also credit the coaching staff with the turnaround by specific players over the GM.

I'd go with Dan Duquette of the Orioles, considering the season they have had and who they compete with in that division.

Runner up would be Billy Beane, who seems to turn the A's roster over every year and this time he ended up with a likely wild card team in a division supposedly dwarfed by the Rangers and Angels.

A. Cavatica

09-18-2012, 09:30 PM

Any manager who subtracts Ozzie, adds Robin and Youk and Wise and Liriano and Myers, maintains faith in Rios and Peavy and Dunn, and manages to fill out a pitching staff with Quintana, Reed, Jones, and Santiago deserves the award in my book.

spawn

09-18-2012, 09:41 PM

Kenny has done a good job this year, but we still had Konerko, Rios, Dunn, Peavy, etc. to start with, and those preseason predictions were more about Ventura's inexperience than quality at the top end of the roster. I'd also credit the coaching staff with the turnaround by specific players over the GM.

I'd go with Dan Duquette of the Orioles, considering the season they have had and who they compete with in that division.

Runner up would be Billy Beane, who seems to turn the A's roster over every year and this time he ended up with a likely wild card team in a division supposedly dwarfed by the Rangers and Angels.
The Sox also lost Danks to injury and Beurhle to the Marlins, and acquired Youkilis, Myers, Wise, Liriano. I know you're still sore that Ozzie failed with the same players you just mentioned above, but KW deserves credit for acquiring players basically on the fly when needed.

shingo10

09-18-2012, 09:51 PM

I always think back to the ridiculously long thread in spring training after Kenny said that the coaching staff had far and beyond exceeded his expectations. No one was real happy he said that but it turned out that this coaching staff has prepared the players better than anyone else has in the past 6 years.

guillensdisciple

09-18-2012, 09:56 PM

I always think back to the ridiculously long thread in spring training after Kenny said that the coaching staff had far and beyond exceeded his expectations. No one was real happy he said that but it turned out that this coaching staff has prepared the players better than anyone else has in the past 6 years.

Don't necessarily think any of this has to do with preparation. Besides the defensive effort, which has improved drastically, we are seeing the performance we should have seen from many of the players. This is just a case of the players needing a new face and not listening to Ozzie anymore. Ozzie's act was stale. He did the "take pressure off players" thing every year by being loud and idiotic, and it worked initially, but at the end I am sure it just annoyed the players and they gave up.

Rios was always this good, Dunn was always this good, so this is just regression to the norm.

If Rios and DUnn perform last year like they did this year, the White Sox are probably in the playoff hunt too. They didn't, and we weren't.

soxfanreggie

09-19-2012, 12:42 AM

The Sox also lost Danks to injury and Beurhle to the Marlins, and acquired Youkilis, Myers, Wise, Liriano. I know you're still sore that Ozzie failed with the same players you just mentioned above, but KW deserves credit for acquiring players basically on the fly when needed.

If you would have told me that we would have won as we have so far with a pieced together staff after our ace - Danks - went down for the season, I would have thought that it was a Vegas long shot.

I'm all for Kenny winning it, but I could easily see Duquette if the O's make the playoffs. Still a lot of baseball to be played yet this season folks.

gosox41

09-19-2012, 02:16 AM

If you would have told me that we would have won as we have so far with a pieced together staff after our ace - Danks - went down for the season, I would have thought that it was a Vegas long shot.

I'm all for Kenny winning it, but I could easily see Duquette if the O's make the playoffs. Still a lot of baseball to be played yet this season folks.

It's a tough call. Do you give it to the team(s) that have the $60-$70MM payroll that compete in divisions where there are 2 big spenders ahead of them? This is of course assuming the O's and A's make the playoffs.

Or do you give it to the team with the $100MM payroll who have had more then their share of injuries but made during the season additions of relatively big names in Youk, Myers, & Liriano without giving up much of anything?

Bob

doublem23

09-20-2012, 01:05 PM

It's a tough call. Do you give it to the team(s) that have the $60-$70MM payroll that compete in divisions where there are 2 big spenders ahead of them? This is of course assuming the O's and A's make the playoffs.

The thing you have to remember about the Orioles in all these conversations is... They're not really this good. They're still negative in run differential (653 RS, 663 RA) which puts them 12 wins over their current Pythagorean W-L%. Nothing about their offense or pitching staff really stands out among the rest of the league, they're a team with all the marks of a bunch of guys having a fluke, successful season.

And we also have to at least hold off on this "toughest division in baseball" stuff, at least for the year in regards to the AL East. The Yankees are good, but have been injured a lot lately and that has exposed some depth problems. The O's, again, are playing way over their head. The Rays have a nice pitching staff, but they can't hit the ball at all. The Red Sox are a disaster. And the Blue Jays suck, as they always do.

I would go with Billy Beane and the A's. He really rebuilt that whole team. Duquette brought in a few players that have done well for Baltimore like Hammel, Chen, and Betemit, but most of the A's best players were either in the minors in 2011 or acquired this off-season. He finally put the pieces together for a run this year in, I might add, a division much more competitive than the overrated East.

DonnieDarko

09-20-2012, 02:20 PM

It would probably be easier to find the guys who didn't think the Sox would have an absymal record entering this season

Yeah, but his prediction even had me laughing my ass off. It was quite far-fetched.

amsteel

09-20-2012, 02:44 PM

It's because of the Hudson move, isn't it?

Mohoney

09-20-2012, 03:04 PM

Apparently Bob Nightengale thinks that KW is being promoted to President and Rick Hahn is being promoted to GM.